The American Saddlebred Horse Association held its Annual Meeting on February 21-23, 2002, at the Embassy Suites in Lexington, Kentucky. During this time, the ASHA Board met to consider recommendations from the ASHA Committees and comments gathered from the membership during the Open Forum.
On Saturday, during the Annual Meeting, the ASHA membership voted Bret Day and Don Spear to the Nominating Committee for selection of a slate for the 2003 Board of Directors. In the Saturday Board meeting, Michele Macfarlane and Misdee Wrigley were elected to serve on the committee. Tom Pettry, ASHA President, appointed Vicki Gillenwater as Chair of the Committee. It is the duty of the Nominating Committee to present to the Board a slate of at least six ASHA members, for whom the ASHA membership can vote to elect to the ASHA Board of Directors in 2003.
During the Open Forum on Saturday, the ASHA membership addressed issues facing the Association and the industry. One of the issues dealt with the possibility of allowing horse owners to cancel the registration papers on a horse, should they wish to sell a horse without papers. The Board will continue to look at this issue and the ramifications of changing the rules to allow papers to be cancelled.
The other hot topic of the Open Forum was requiring ASHA membership in order to show at USAE recognized horse shows. After much discussion, a straw vote was taken on the proposal to make ASHA membership mandatory at the Kentucky State Fair in 2003 and at all USAE shows in 2004. The membership was unanimous in its support of the proposal. The Board will bring the proposal to USA Equestrian.
The ASHA Board also passed some rule changes. One change was extending the time allowed for breeding stock to convert to DNA. Due to unforeseen difficulties in converting the frozen blood samples to DNA, the Board felt this extension in time was necessary to provide for a smooth transition to the DNA requirement. Therefore, DNA testing will be mandatory for all breeding stallions in 2002, and in 2003 all breeding mares and foals will need to be DNA tested.
The ASHA Board also approved new wording for the rules regarding horses registered with an approved foreign registry. The changes reflect a more organized listing of the requirements and provide rules for registering a foal imported in utero. The new fee for registering a horse already registered with an approved foreign registry is $150, and the fee to register a foal imported in utero is the same as registering any other foal.
The following increases in Registry fees were approved to be effective May 1, 2002:
* Certificate of Eligibility to Show, $25
* Recording of a Lease $25
* Name Reservation $25
* "RUSH" Service $50
The Board also approved raising various office fees, effective May 1, 2002, for computer data:
* Membership Mailing List $25 per 500 labels
* Get of Sire – List of All Registered Offspring
1 – 100 Get $25
101 – 300 Get $35
over 300 $45
* Annual Register $50
* Pedigrees $10
* Produce of Dam $25
* Show Results $25
The ASHA Lifetime Membership fee will be increased from $1,000 to $1,500 beginning January 1, 2003.
In addition to making the above announcements, the Board also wishes to inform the membership and the general public of the results of the ASHA Board of Directors election. The Board has three new directors, Vicki Gillenwater, Knoxville, Tennessee; Kris Price, Simpsonville, Kentucky; and Misdee Wrigley, Paris, Kentucky. Returning to the Board for another term are Tom Ferrebee, Westfield Center, Ohio; Carolyn Groves, Wayzata, Minnesota; and Fred Sarver, Aroda, Virginia. Retiring from the Board are Joan Hamilton, Springfield, Kentucky; Don Spear, Simpsonville, Kentucky; and Glenn Werry Jr., Edwards, Illinois. Appreciation for their time and energy is extended to those directors leaving the Board, and a warm welcome to the new members.
The Board also announces changes to its slate of officers:
* President Fred K Sarver, Aroda, Virginia
* 1st Vice President Tom Pettry, Richmond, Illinois
* 2nd Vice President Tom Ferrebee Westfield Center, Ohio
* Secretary Bruce E. Hanson, Saint Paul, Minnesota
* Treasurer David L. Howard, Shelbyville, Tennessee
Due to the success of the Annual Meeting and the wonderful service at the Embassy Suites Hotel, ASHA is announcing that its 2003 Annual Meeting will be held at the Embassy Suites in Lexington, Kentucky, February 20-22, 2003. The Association plans on following the same format and looks forward to seeing all of its members come together again next year.